"I'm going to find him a summoner soon," I vowed, "I think I was able to summon him just because he's unbonded now."
Emperor Nepheus blasted me with coldness as he wordlessly glided halfway down the stairs, stopping once his face was level with Rays'.
The dragon furled his lip, rumbling a warning growl in his throat as my father reached for his horns. Rushing down to them, I moved in front of my father and placed a gentle hand on the dragon's snout.
"It's okay, he won't hurt you," I cajoled. "Please take my father to Clear Water."
Rays relaxed under my touch and I rubbed my thumb in comforting circles as I discreetly reached behind me without taking my eyes off him. I grabbed my father's wrist and directed his hand to mine. A soft growl emanated from the dragon as the emperor's hand covered mine.
"See, he's not scary," I said, slipping my hand away.
I glanced at my father to find him already staring at me with a look of curiosity.
"What?" I asked, rubbing my arms under his harsh scrutiny.
He opened his mouth to speak, then shook his head as he changed his mind. "Nothing," he said. "We need to leave now."
I nodded at Rays and he lowered his neck, eyes tracking my father as the frightening man hitched himself onto his neck and grabbed a hold of his horns.
"Summoners are not allowed to ride other dragons," Emperor Nepheus stated.
"Yeah, well, Armaeda's not here and you just asked to ride my dragon anyway. There's no other way to get to Clear Water safely, so forget the damn rules," I retorted, handing him Rays' yellow dragon scale.
I hadn't meant to speak to him with such disrespect, but I was fed up with him and his attitude toward me. I couldn't please him no matter how much I tried to, so I figured talking back once wouldn't hurt the negative image he already had of me.
Brief appreciation and what I assumed to be pride dawned on his face. I wasn't sure I had even seen the quick uptick of his lip or slight nod before he replaced the emotions with his usual apathy.
"Summon your dragon," he said, pulling back on Rays' horn with his free hand. "We have to go."
Rays bent his legs and launched into the air, tail disappearing around the side of the castle as he started the decline towards Clear Water with my father even though the two of us could have fit together on the large dragon.
With a deep breath, I summoned Serene next. I needed to keep both dragons summoned at the same time for the entire journey to show my father I was capable of doing so. That had to show my essence was present and perhaps just dormant like Bastion had thought.
Serene burst from the blue flames of frost fire and bounded up the stairs to meet me. She dropped her head and I scratched the soft fur between her horns before climbing over her neck. She scaled the steps in a single leap with her wings spread and ran along the narrow pathway until she had enough speed to propel herself into the night sky.
Serene flapped her wings and took us around the castle, tilting to the right as she prepared to make the descent along the steep slant of the slope leading to Clear Water.
An overwhelming sense of fatigue overcame me and I learned forward as my eyelids drooped. Serene must have felt the same weariness because her wings missed a beat and we plummeted ten feet in a heartbeat.
I patted the side of her face, yelling against the wind, "I know, I'm tired, too! We're almost there!"
The shimmering lake of Clear Water came into view as we soared closer. The water was a sheet of inky blackness that mirrored the glowing crescent moon and surrounding trees of the Yurich Forest. The surface rippled as dragons and shifters landed along the shore, joining the throngs of Draconians already stationed on the docks with the pyres.
Hyrule dominated the opposite side of the lake, laying with his front legs submerged under the water and his head resting on the ground. His gold scales glinted in the moonlight from where he watched at a distance as the water lapped at his chin.
If I'd thought Rays was monstrous, Hyrule was a whole other behemoth. I could not picture my mother riding the dragon that nearly tripled Rays' size. And to think Armaeda was even larger was astonishing. The silver dragon with a breast plate of blue scales made Rays seem puny in comparison. It was no wonder her essence was so powerful – she had a lot of it streaming through her.
The fresh air filled my lungs and the essences of all the dragons flooded my system, rejuvenating my energy. The visible streams of the dragons' essences cascaded together above the lake as more dragons arrived. Rays touched down and I released a deep breath as Serene came up behind him. My father hurdled himself over Rays' raised neck and dropped to the sandy shore, landing in a crouch as his staff stabbed the ground.
Rising to his full height, an audible hush descended over the crowd as a flame ignited on the top of Emperor Nepheus' staff. The group of Draconians around the first dock parted and the emperor passed through them. He went up the steps and climbed onto the wooden boards, facing his citizens from above.
I slid off Serene's lowered neck and patted her shoulder as I looked around, wondering which Draconians stifling their cries were Racquel's parents or Francie's sisters, Roscoe's grandparents, Xantha's friends, Killian's brothers.
Hot steam hit the top of my head and I glanced up to find Rays standing over me. His head drooped and he moaned deep, keeping his eyes on the middle dock of three. I smoothed a hand over the yellow scales on his leg and frowned, joining his gaze on Racquel's covered body. The yellow blanket with his healing hands Insignia was placed on top of his body where he rested over straw and wood on the obsidian pyre.
"Tonight, we honor the lives of five pupils who gave their lives valiantly fighting our enemy. Their sacrifice and courage will not be overlooked in this time of mourning. As we burn their bodies on these pyres, their essences will provide us with their own resiliency and strength, joining with the streams of essences surrounding the walls of the empire. We will feel revitalized as we express our gratitude for these Draconians," Emperor Nepheus spoke, addressing all of us. He stood between the two pyres on the first dock and turned to the pyre on his left.
A red blanket covered Killian's body with his Insignia of red and orange flames stitched on the fabric. The fire wielder was one of the most promising pupils of our year and had been set to join the rigorous Fire Force. The dragons laid down on either side of me as the emperor tipped his staff underneath the pyre and lit the hearth with the flame on his staff. He stepped back as the fire blazed, engulfing the pyre with flames that licked the sky.
Silver rivulets rose from Killian's burning body and cascaded around the fire lighting the pyre. His essence swirled into the night sky, twinkling with the light of the stars as it poured into the thick current of the dragons' essences before departing across the lake and past Hyrule to head toward the outskirts of the empire.
"Killian Vespers," my father said, raising his hand that glowed white. The surging flames snuffed out as a strong gust of wind extinguished the fire, and my father dropped his hand as he faced the second pyre where Roscoe Lavoie rested.
Emperor Nepheus performed the same ritual with Roscoe's body as he'd done with Killian's until all five bodies were burned and their essences flowed through the air. Rivers of tears spilled down my cheeks as my father offered his condolences to the families and said a few closing remarks.
Serene nudged my hand with her snout, sensing my sadness.
"I'm fine," I assured her.
But they're not, I realized, choking on a sob.
Rays stood and tilted his head back, unleashing a prolonged, dismal roar for Racquel. Sorrow seized me as the dragon mourned his summoner's death.
My father was right. None of this would've happened if I'd had an Insignia and just married the Ravos prince in the first place. The demon attack was a threat to show what it would look like if I didn't get a power soon.
I didn't go up to my classmates after the ceremony and ignored their looks of bewilderment as two dragons followed me to the last dock where my father was going down the steps.
His icy eyes met mine and he frowned as he analyzed the streaks on my face.
"Aeryn," he said, coming to stand in front of me. He dropped a heavy, awkward hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "I'm sorry," he clipped.
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak in the surprise of my father showing some affection.
"Now toughen up. The Force will not be kind to the weak."
"And neither are you," I mumbled under my breath as he strode past me.
---------------